Tag Archives: butter

I love trying new ways to cook potatoes. They go with any meal, are easy to flavor, and can be cooked in so many different ways. Here, I tried steaming the potatoes in an aluminum foil pouch that I baked in the oven. I imagine you could do the same thing on the grill. This recipe is also very open to different flavors by just changing what goes into the pouch. Instead of rosemary and olive oil… try paprika and chili powder, or dijon mustard and lemon thyme, or even citrus zest!

Pouch Potatoes

Pieces:

one to two pounds small red potatoes

3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. vegan butter

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. lemon pepper

Process:

Cut the potatoes into quarters, or bite sized.

Using a large piece of aluminum foil, create a pouch by putting the potatoes on top of the foil. Then sprinkle the olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, and rosemary on top and fold up the sides of the foil.

Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, or until fork tender. You could also steam on the grill, keeping the lid to the grill closed.

I had a request for a quinoa recipe the other day… so I found some salmon on sale at the store, some quinoa in my cupboard, and some pots and pans on the stove! Quinoa is a great grain, boasting high fiber and protein… 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber in a quarter cup dry serving. It’s a great gluten free alternative… especially when rice is getting boring.

Buttered Salmon over Lemon Quinoa

Pieces:

one cup dry quinoa grain

2 salmon steaks, boneless

3 cups mushrooms

one half bunch asparagus stalks, rough ends cut off

2 tbsp. vegan butter

1 tbsp. olive oil

one half cup lemon juice

2 tsp. grated lemon zest

4 dill stalks, or about 2 tbsp. chopped dill

one half cup water

salt and pepper

Process:

In a large saute pan, cook the quinoa according to package directions. (It is about 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water… bring the water to a boil, add the quinoa, cover, and let simmer until the water is absorbed.)

While the quinoa is cooking, saute the mushrooms and asparagus in the olive oil and salt and pepper. Saute them on medium heat until tender. Add one quarter cup water if needed.

While the veggies and quinoa are cooking, saute the salmon. Put the butter in a saute pan, and melt over medium heat. Place the salmon steaks skin side up. Add the dill and lemon juice.

Let the salmon cook about 5-7 minutes. Add one quarter cup water if the pan gets dry. Heat until cooked through.

Add the lemon zest and a dash of salt and pepper to the quinoa. Fluff with a fork.

Serve the quinoa on a plate, topping with the asparagus, mushrooms, and salmon on top.

I have always been intrigued by leeks and yet have never cooked with them… until now. I bought two intimidating looking leeks and thought long and hard about how to cook them and with what. Chicken seemed like a natural choice, and something that I couldn’t mess up.

After chopping off the green stalks and slicing the leeks into small rounds, they seemed less intimidating. To go with my new friends, I cooked two chicken breasts in white wine, dijon mustard, butter, and thyme… and added sliced mushrooms and the leek rounds in at the end. I was pleasantly surprised at the result! The mushrooms and leeks went very well together and it only took about 30 minutes total. I see another leek recipe in my future.

Leek and Mushroom Chicken with White Wine Sauce

Pieces:

two chicken breasts

2 tbsp. olive oil

one and one half cups white wine

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

2 tbsp. vegan butter

1 tbsp. thyme

1 container sliced mushrooms

2 leeks, sliced into small rounds and rinsed

Process:

In a large saute pan with some olive oil, start to cook the chicken breasts on medium heat.

Flip the chicken after 2 minutes.

Add half of each of the white wine, dijon mustard, butter, and thyme. (You can estimate the measure, and just pour it in there… it will mix while cooking).

Cover and let simmer for about 7 minutes. Watch that the wine doesn’t totally evaporate, and if it does, just add more.

After 7 minutes, flip the chicken again. Stir up any browned bits in the bottom of the pan.

Add the remaining wine, mustard, butter, and thyme as well as the mushrooms and leeks.

Cover and let simmer 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve chicken with heaping spoonfuls of the leeks, mushrooms, and sauce on top.